


the soft goodbye

by ricecrispbees



Category: Endless Ocean (Video Games), Endless Ocean: Blue World
Genre: Five Years Later, Gen, Queer Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21589891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ricecrispbees/pseuds/ricecrispbees
Summary: oceana misses her former diving partner from years ago. jean-eric has a surprise for her.
Relationships: Oceana Louvier/Player Character (implied)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 10





	the soft goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> hi, yes, hello. endless ocean & endless ocean blue world are my favorite wii games of all time and i almost didn't decide i wanted to go to med school bcus of it, i wanted a phd in marine bio for the LONGEST time and it's all because of these two amazingly made games. thank you, endless ocean. this fic is long, long overdue.
> 
> this fic is best read listening to the eo2 ost song of the same name.

Oceana still kept that photograph on her desk.

It nagged at her now and again. On some nights she'd be reviewing something or other at her desk and catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye. She'd see her face from five years ago, a short and cheery teenage girl standing beside her grandpa and...others. She was twenty-one now, a grown woman, and though she knew it was rather silly to get caught up on the past like this she couldn't help herself from time to time. Tonight, Oceana let herself indulge, picked up the framed photograph carefully, and studied it.

Dust had collected on the glass cover and she wiped it away with her shirt. Tears bit at the corners of her eyes as she took in the image; herself, Grandpa, the American salvager GG, the world-famous professor Sakurai, and a college student who had made a name for herself and the L&L diving company through years of incredible accomplishments. She stood next to Oceana in this photograph, an arm around her shoulder and a smile plastered on her tanned face. Sakurai huddled against her said, throwing up a peace sign, and GG pulled a funny face over her shoulder. Grandpa looked over at them, a fond smile on his face that betrayed every time he gave GG flack for being so goofy, and Oceana let out a quiet sob.

It was just her now on this island, all alone. Grandpa had entrusted the island to her in order to move to the mainland, where he could be closer to the medical care he was beginning to depend on. He still piloted the company boat when she had tours to give, and it wasn't like he was close to dying or anything, but he certainly wasn't at his best either. He walked with a cane now. His joints weren't what they used to be, and it wasn't like he had any other children to look after him. Oceana had been so busy maintaining L&L on her own nowadays that she never really had the time to think about how much that scared her, knowing that he was living separately of her now and if something were to happen she wouldn't have a way of finding out until perhaps it was too late.

Gaston was gone, as was Sakurai. The former had decided to move back to the United States to be with family, and the latter had gone back to Japan to teach at one of the nation's top universities. She was very happy for the both of them, make no mistake, but...thinking back on how much those two meant to her while they were still in her life did make her ache a little. She missed bantering with GG over morning bacon and eggs and listening to Sakurai recite facts about sea life off the top of her head like a walking encyclopedia. 

And then, there was the college student.

She was a duo major in sociology and marine biology, with a concentration in folklore and mythology. Her name was Leah Carter, and Oceana _adored_ her. She was so smart, and such a fast learner, too. She'd been a massive help in when too many tour requests came in and had almost as much passion for the wonders of the sea as Oceana herself. They had been through so much together, from discovering the legendary Valka castle to touring the Cavern of the Gods. Once, they'd gone down into an abyss in the middle of the Red Sea, and they found a wrecked vessel that had belonged to her late father. _That_ had been an emotional roller coaster. Oceana cried on and off again for days, and Leah was always there to assuage it and make her feel at least a little better. She was so kind, so brilliant, so wonderful. In retrospect, Oceana realized, she'd fallen in love with her, but never acted on it for obvious reasons. Leah was twenty-four then, while she was only sixteen, and that would have been very uncomfortable for everyone involved.

But Leah was gone now, too. She left after the others did, just about two years ago. Unlike the others, however, she didn't have any other obligations. She just...wasn't happy there anymore. Oceana didn't know why, but she'd seen it even before Gaston and Hayako were gone. She became distant and unhappy, and it seemed even playing with the dog didn't help most days. She became confrontational and angry far too easily, and even got into a few spats with the others, Jean-Eric included. Oceana never did figure out why that was and it was killing her even today.

One day, a week before she left, Leah turned over in bed and looked across the room at her.

"Oceana," She said, her voice heavy and tired, "If I left tomorrow, would you be able to manage without me?"

Oceana's blood ran cold and she nearly dropped the book she'd been skimming through.

"Excuse me?" She asked, shocked. Leah just blinked wearily at her, the dark circles beneath her eyes exacerbated in the low lighting.

"I said what I said," She replied simply. "If I left, would you and Jean-Eric be alright?" The woman rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. "You've got Snorkel, and he's in good health. Guided tour requests are slow this time of year, so you could feasibly manage it." She looked back over at Oceana again. "What do you think?"

Oceana was silent, eyes wide with shock and horror. What was she supposed to say to _that_? Leah was, admittedly, being a bit of a pain as of late, but the idea of her just up and moving away after all this time was enough to make her sick. She wanted to scream "what the fuck, have you lost your mind?!", scream up a storm about how stupid that was and how much Leah was in fact needed here, spill her guts and tell her how much she loved her and needed her and remind her that if she left she'd be _devastated_...

But she did none of that. Instead, she sniffled, fiddling with the book in her hands and refusing to make eye contact. "Well," Oceana muttered, "I guess if it's what you want..."

Leah did not say anything to her after that, but simply rolled over and went to sleep. By the end of the week, she'd packed her stuff and Jean-Eric took her to the local airport before the sun had even risen. Oceana never got the chance to say goodbye.

She was crying in her chair now, tears running down her face. God, she missed Leah so, _so_ much. She'd stopped sleeping in the room they shared in this tiny cabin after Leah left, opting instead to bunk in Jean-Eric's old room or on the couch, for she knew going in that room again would absolutely shatter her. Teardrops fell onto the photograph, splattering across the glass, and Oceana wondered through her haze of emotions if there was something she'd done wrong to make everyone else leave. 

The phone rang. Oceana thought for a moment that she might ignore it before wiping her eyes and making a grab for it.

"L&L Diving Service."

"Oceana? Are you crying?"

Her eyes widened. 

"Oh, no, don't worry about it, grandpa." She reassured him, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand again. "Just a bit sniffly from dust, that's all."

"You'd better be keeping that cabin in good shape, young lady!" Jean-Eric play-threatened her and they laughed.

"Don't worry, grandpa. I am." Oceana smiled. It was at least good to hear from him if nothing else.

"That's my girl." She could practically hear him smiling through the phone too. "Are you holding up alright? The locals are going to be holding this cookout Friday night. It's supposed to be wonderful. They'll have all your favorite foods, and live music, and a bonfire...Oh, you really should come out, Oceana. I can bring the boat by to pick you up."

"Oh..." It _did_ sound like a good time, and Oceana hadn't gone to any events hosted by the locals in a while, but something in her said it wouldn't be worth it. "Sounds nice. I'm a bit swamped with work right now, though, so I might not be able to go. I'm sorry, grandpa."

A pause.

"It's alright. I can understand that."

"Yeah..." Oceana trailed off. She felt bad for denying the invite, but at the same time, she just wasn't feeling all there at the moment. Oh well. She could always just throw herself into her work again to forget about it, no big deal.

"Oceana?" Jean-Eric said after a moment's silence. "I'll be coming by tomorrow, same time as always. Could you do me a favor and clean up the outside area a bit?"

"What do you mean?" Oceana asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew the table was looking a _little_ messy as of late, but it wasn't that bad, was it?

"Don't try that with me. I saw the messy state it was in this morning when you were doing guided tours. Soda bottles and papers all over the table, Snorkel's dog food bag half-open and just sitting there...Oceana, what's gotten into you lately?"

"I'm fine," She insisted, maybe a little more harshly than she intended to. She'd do away with the mess outside tomorrow morning, half-heartedly, if it made her grandpa happy. "I'll take care of it."

"Good. Thank you." Jean-Eric was starting to sound weary. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course." Oceana's throat was starting to close up again and she felt tears building. "I love you too."

"Alright. Get some good rest tonight. You're a grown lady, and Lord knows you'll need it" There was a hint of mirth in his voice as he said, "I've got a surprise for you that I think you'll like."

"Oh." Oceana felt a hint of a smile cross her face at that. "I'll be looking forward to it. You better get some sleep too, Grandpa. Don't stay up all night partying or anything."

"Rats! There goes all my plans!" Joked her grandpa with a laugh. Oceana laughed, too, but nowhere near as wholeheartedly as he did.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Goodnight, Grandpa."

"Goodnight, Oceana."

And with that, the line went dead. Oceana put it away, directing her attention back to that damned photograph, and wondered what if anything could possibly be enough to surprise her at this point.

* * *

Morning came. Breakfast was made. The dog was fed.

Oceana still felt like shit, but not as much as she did the night before. That much was good, at least; it was a step in the right direction of feeling more like a functional person again. She heard the sound of Jean-Eric's boat surpassing the horizon and didn't bother looking as she cleared away the numerous soda bottles and orange juice containers off the table outside. Snorkel laid in the shade of the canopy, thumping his tail against the sand absently and watching her work.

"You're lucky you're a dog, you know," Oceana teased him, "Or else you'd be up here helping me out."

Snorkel made a little huffing sound and she laughed.

"Freeloader," She teased again and nearly jumped out of her skin when the boat pulled into the dock with a loud blaring of the horn.

'The fuck?' She wondered, knocking another bottle into the trash bag. Grandpa never used the horn on that thing anymore unless there was some hefty-looking sea life in the boat's way. She turned around to see Jean-Eric stepping off the boat, cane in hand, followed by a man who was chatting excitedly with him. Oceana froze. There was a bag over his shoulder and it was like a punch to the gut when she remembered Leah used to carry her bag around the same way. God, why was she still so hung up on that woman...?

"Oceana!" Her grandfather called, waving her over. Hesitantly, Oceana came, followed by a very reluctant-looking Snorkel.

"Good morning, Grandpa." She greeted him with a smile and looked the strange man over. He had a friendly smile on his face and shoulder-length brown hair slicked back with what looked like an unholy amount of gel. He was tall and lean, with a fair amount of muscle mass on his arms from what she could see. Oh, god, Oceana did _not_ like this guy already, not because he seemed creepy or anything but because he looked almost exactly like Leah did. Maybe he was her brother or something? It certainly seemed possible. The man noticed her apprehension and extended a hand to her.

"Hello," He said, "I'm Michael. Jean-Eric's told me a lot about you, Oceana."

Oceana shook his hand with an awkward half-smile. "Hey. Nice to meet you." She turned to Jean-Eric. "So who's this?"

"A new hire," Her grandpa replied. Oceana gawked at him. "Oh, don't look so shocked! You and I both know you've been incredibly busy lately. A new member of the L&L diving service is exactly what we've needed for a while, don't you think? Besides," Jean-Eric regarded Michael with a smile. "I think the two of you will get along just fine. Show Michael around the cabin, if you don't mind, since he'll be staying here from now on. I'll give the two of you some space for a bit."

"I..." Oceana wasn't sure where to begin. It was certainly a shock, just having a new coworker dumped on her after a handful of years practically living in isolation, but then Jean-Eric _had_ told her there was going to be a surprise. "Geez, Grandpa. I just wish you'd told me we were getting a new hire sooner." She turned to Michael, who looked about as awkward as she was feeling right then. "Come on, then. There's not much to this island, but I'll give you a tour anyway."

She showed him around the outside of the island, which constituted pointing out the table, Snorkel's kennel, the hammock, and fire pit. The dog followed them both the entire time, walking right at Michael's side like he'd known him forever. The male in return gave him head pats every now and again with an affectionate smile.

"Ha," Michael pointed to the odd tiki statue Hayako had insisted on buying some six years ago, "I feel like that statue's looking at us."

Oceana cringed. Leah used to joke about that a lot.

"Yeah," She said, "You and me both."

Luckily, Michael failed to comment on the not-so-ideal state of the inside of the cabin.

"Sorry it's a mess," Oceana said halfheartedly, shoving a pile of photographs and dive guide request forms off her desk. "Your room's over that way. Kitchen and bathroom are over there. If you need to shower, there's a water tank out back you can use for it. This desk is mine, and there should be another in the guest room, so no touching this one."

"Got it," Michael said, looking about the inside of the cabin. His eyes wandered to the photograph on her desk and he froze. "What's that?"

Oceana froze, too. "Uh." She found it suddenly very hard to speak as Michael carefully approached her desk and picked up the framed photograph. "Why does it matter to you??"

Michael stared at the image with an unreadable look on his face. "Wow. That's an old picture."

"Yeah." Oh, boy, this was getting uncomfortable fast. "That was five years ago. I practically looked like a baby then." She joked.

The other hummed in acknowledgment. "I can't believe you still have this." He said finally, looking up at Oceana with misty eyes.

"What do you mean, _still_?" She asked, confused. Oceana looked from the photograph to him and back again. Oh, yeah, this guy _definitely_ had to be related to Leah somehow. "Oh, I get it. That must be your sister there."

"Huh?" Now it was Michael's turn to look confused.

Oceana raised an eyebrow. "That woman, right there next to me? Don't play dumb, you two look like you could be twins. Her name was Leah, does that perhaps ring any bells?" 

Michael stared at her. "...Something like that."

The two stood there for a long time, one holding the photograph and the other bewildered like she'd just discovered a new species of wildlife.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Oceana asked slowly, taking the frame from Michael. "If you know her, don't waste my time on it."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hit a spot on you." He apologized, letting her take it without a fight.

"Huh?"

"I mean, you seem a little tetchy now is all."

"Oh, 'tetchy' doesn't exactly feel like the right word." Oceana put the frame back with a huff. "Leah and I...we were close, that's all. She's kind of a sore spot for me, so. Let's not discuss it if you don't know her."

"Why not?" Michael asked, and she would have smacked him if he didn't look so damn much like her.

"Because," She blurted angrily, "She left, okay? I loved her and she just packed up her shit and left without so much as a fucking goodbye. So just don't mention it again, and so help me if I catch you messing with that picture again you're fired, got it?" Oceana glared at him, face red with exasperation and embarrassment.

Michael's eyebrows nearly raised clear off his forehead. "Oh," He said, softening somewhat. "Oh, okay. Sorry."

Oceana huffed. "You know where the guest room is. Unpack. We'll evaluate your diving skills in exactly forty-five minutes, so get dressed and ready for it. I'll be waiting on the dock, so don't be late, got it?"

"Oh," Michael replied casually, halfway between her and the guest room door. "That won't be necessary, Oceana."

"Ugh," She groaned, "Stop saying cryptic shit already!"

The man looked at her, almost pained. "You still haven't gotten it already? Geez," He sat himself down on the couch, placing his bag on the floor. "Come here for a moment. There's something I want to show you."

Oceana stared at him, frustrated beyond all belief, then reluctantly sat down across the sofa from him. "This better be good."

Michael chewed his bottom lip and said nothing, pulling out his cell phone and unlocking it. "So," He said conversationally, opening his photo album app, "Just bear with me here, I'm not good at this sort of thing."

Oceana remained silent, eyeing him suspiciously as he showed her an image timestamped a year ago to the day.

"I know you said not to talk about her," He continued with a sigh, showing her the photo on the screen. "But I might as well just tell you now."

The photo was two separate photos in a side-by-side comparison. The first was of a woman, one who looked exactly the way Leah did, with a date marked one week after she left the diving company. She looked very tired, her dark circles visible even in the mirror shot she'd taken, and her hair was noticeably shorter. The next photo was Michael, clearly taken in the same bathroom, with the date on that one being three months ago. He was smiling, throwing up a peace sign, and Oceana's gut twisted when she noticed both he and Leah were wearing the same shirt.

"What's this?" She asked, looking up at him in frustration. She was already drained from all this talk of her and just wanted the day to be over with already so she could go to bed and sleep it all away. Michael sighed.

"Don't you get it?" He asked, sounding just as pained as she felt. "Oceana. I _am_ Leah."

" _What_." Her jaw dropped. She looked at the comparison image again. They certainly did look alike, but... "How?!"

"Hormone therapy," Michael said, "And getting a mastectomy. Look," He changed photos, this one showing him in simply a pair of swim trunks at a pool somewhere. Two large red scars outlined the bottom of his pecs and Oceana's eyes widened.

"Holy _shit_!" She gasped. "I-- You-- You're really--" Her throat was starting to close up again and she looked up at him, misty-eyed already. "Why?"

"I wasn't happy before, Oceana," Michael explained carefully, looking a bit emotional himself. "It wasn't your fault at all, though. Please understand that. I wanted to seek medical aid in transitioning, and that's why I left you. I was scared senseless of telling you before. I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea it was going to hurt so bad. But this is what was best for my health, and I'm happier than I've ever been now that I am who I know I've been this entire time. I know it was selfish to just up and leave without any warning," He said, outstretching his arms, "But can you find it in you to forgive me still?"

God. Fuck. Shit. This was happening, this was really happening. L-- Michael was back now, he was really _here_ , and honestly? It didn't matter anymore if he was male, female, or something else. Oceana had her best friend back, and she hadn't felt so overjoyed in ages.

"Oh my god," She sobbed, hugging him tightly, "Yes. Yes, yes, yes."

Michael hugged her back tightly and they cried. Oceana's shoulders were shaking and she felt tears bleeding into the shoulder of her shirt but she couldn't have cared less. "Fuck," She sobbed, "I've got so many questions but I'm just glad it's _you_." She pulled away to wipe her eyes and smiled. Michael did the same.

"Yeah," He said with a sniffle, looking her up and down for a moment, "I'm sure you do. I wanted to comment on how different you look now when I first saw you but I figured that would have been weird." 

"No kidding!" Oceana began to laugh and found she couldn't stop. Michael didn't mind, so it didn't matter. "I would have had a stroke!"

"I'll bet!" Michael teased. "Anyway...I didn't realize you used to feel that way for me, Oceana."

She paused and suddenly felt mortifying embarrassment crash over her. Oh, _fuck._ She had admitted that she used to have a crush on him just a moment ago, hadn't she?!

"I wasn't gonna act on it!" She blurted. "I was _sixteen_! You were an adult!"

"Oh, I figured you wouldn't," Michael said with a bit of a shudder. "And I'll be honest, I'm glad you didn't. I could kind of tell, but...yeah. I don't think Jean-Eric would have approved."

"Definitely not." Oceana sighed, looking anywhere else in the room but at him.

"Hayako and I kind of had a thing for a while," He admitted, "But it was pretty poorly defined, in terms of what we were and what was allowed and what wasn't. It didn't last long, and things got weird when she found out I was trans. She's fine with it now, though. We keep in touch over social media."

"Really?" Oceana's eyes lit up. "How's she doing?" She hadn't heard from Hayako in ages!

"Yeah!" Michael smiled. "She's doing amazing! She's the top professor at her university and teaches in three different departments. Oh, and check this out..." He opened an app on his phone, did some scrolling, and presented Oceana with the screen. "Check this out! She's engaged! They're getting married next June, and her soon-to-be wife is a veterinary professor. They've got three cats and a dog together and it's the cutest thing _ever_!"

Oceana squealed. The picture was of Hayako, her fiancee, two white-grey Siberian cats, a tortie kitten, and a corgi all huddled around their Christmas tree. "Oh my god, they're adorable!"

"I know, right?" Michael grinned. "And I'm still in touch with GG, too! He's not as active on social media but from what I know he's married now! Has a daughter named Coral with another kid on the way." He put his phone away. "I'm really, really sorry for not reaching out sooner, Oceana."

She shushed him.

"Look, I..." She paused. "I'm not gonna say it's okay, because it's not, and I really fucking missed you. But," She smiled up at him, "I'm glad you came back. It's been really lonely here without you."

Michael tentatively reached out and took Oceana's hands in her own. With a surprised blush, she let it happen.

"I'm glad I came back, too." He said with a goofy smile that made her heart throb. There was so much she wanted to say, so much to catch up on and ask about. "I worried for a moment before contacting Jean-Eric that you'd run off to Deep Hole again or something and gotten eaten up by a tiger shark!"

" _Ugh_!" Oceana rolled her eyes, remembering the time that exact scenario almost happened to her before Michael, then Leah, stepped in to save her ass. "Don't remind me of that, you idiot! I'll make you sleep in Snorkel's kennel!" She threatened, shoving him playfully.

Michael shoved her back with a grin. "Don't threaten me with a good time! That dog still loves me the most after all this time." 

"Oh, I'll bet he does!" She said. "He absolutely _adores_ you and not the one who's been feeding him for the past three years."

Michael jokingly stuck his tongue out at her, and just like that, Oceana found herself crushing on him all over again. They sat like that for a while, basking side-by-side in one another's company with contented sighs, until an idea came to her out of the blue.

"Hey, Michael," She looked over at him, "Grandpa was telling me about this bonfire on the mainland this Friday..."


End file.
